The dust has settled on the Absa Wildeklawer held in Kimberley and what a spectacle it was. Monday night, 27 April, marked the end of a tournament that delivered everything school rugby should. We look at some of the teams that impressed over the course of the tournament.
Paarl Gim: The attacking juggernaut rolls on
If you’ve been sleeping on Paarl Gim this season, it’s time to wake up. The boys from the Boland have been putting teams to the sword all year, and the Absa Wildeklawer was simply another showcase for their devastating brand of rugby. A 30-point demolition of Helpmekaar and a 40-point thrashing of Durban High School sent a clear message, this side is frighteningly good when they hit their stride.
Head coach Pieter Roussouw has crafted something special here. The blueprint is simple but brutally effective: win the breakdown, secure quick ball, unleash hell. Scrumhalf Mickyle Booise’s snappy delivery keeps the tempo relentless, whilst the magic combination of Louis Koen, Thomas Saunders and Ethan Barker in the backline is pure poetry in motion. When these three get front-foot ball, defences simply disintegrate.
But make no mistake, this isn’t just about champagne rugby from the backs. The foundation is laid by the unsung heroes doing the grunt work at the coalface. Charles Whitehead, Bernhardt Schulze, Dirk Hugo, Corné Niemand and Hendré van Zyl are absolute animals at the breakdown, securing the lightning-quick possession that fuels Gim’s attacking machine. Their pack doesn’t take a backward step, and that dominance up front is what allows the backs to work their magic.
Character wins: Stellenberg and Paul Roos dig deep
Stellenberg remained on song throughout the tournament, though they weren’t handed anything on a silver platter. Being run close by both Maritzburg College and Diamantveld raised a few eyebrows, but champions find ways to win when the going gets tough. That’s exactly what Stellenberg did, showing the grit and resilience that has seen them rise to the number one spot in the country.
The real theatre, however, came from Paul Roos. The men in maroon delivered two absolute nail-biters that had spectators chewing their fingernails down to the quick. First, they produced a stunning comeback against a strong Garsfontein side, overturning a 15-0 deficit to snatch an 21-18 victory. Then, they broke Oakdale hearts with a last-minute penalty kick that sealed the win.
What makes these results even more impressive is the context, Paul Roos were without first-choice flyhalf Travis Pheiffer, whilst Tristan Armitage was restricted to bench duty. Not exactly ideal preparation, yet they found a way. Werner de Bruin, Lehan Barnard and Christian le Roux stepped into the breach when their team needed them most, delivering performances that will live long in the memory.
Head coach Corné Uys will be delighted to leave the Absa Wildeklawer with two quality victories under the belt. These aren’t just wins, they’re the kind of character-building performances that forge championship-winning sides. Expect Paul Roos to climb the rankings after this showing.
The surprise packages
Every tournament has its darlings, and Northwood absolutely captured hearts at this year’s Absa Wildeklawer. Drawn against genuine heavyweights in Garsfontein and Paarl Boys High, the Knights could have been forgiven for being overwhelmed. Instead, they pushed both top-10 ranked sides to the absolute brink.
Against Garsfontein, Northwood were comfortably in the lead before the Bere found another gear and edged ahead 33-28. Against Boishaai, they fell just short in a 21-18 thriller. Two losses on paper, but in reality, two performances that announced Northwood as a side nobody will want to face. They’ve got nothing to lose and everything to prove, a dangerous combination.
Waterkloof’s success shouldn’t shock anyone familiar with their pedigree, but the manner of their performances was genuinely admirable. Taking down highly rated Westville and Durbanville is no mean feat, and they did it with authority. Cobus van Dyk’s men are improving with every outing, building momentum like a freight train. Mark these words, Waterkloof will claim even bigger scalps before this season is done.
KZN’s struggles: Westville and DHS searching for answers
On the flip side, the tournament was less kind to KwaZulu-Natal’s flagship schools. Westville and Durban High School arrived with lofty expectations but departed with difficult questions to answer.
Westville are now on a concerning three-game losing streak following defeats to a powerful Oakdale side and that narrow loss to Waterkloof. They possess genuine game-breakers in Jadrian Afrikaner, Jade-Will Koopman and Luxolo Sonkononkono, but individual brilliance means little when you’re being outgunned up front. Against both Oakdale and Waterkloof, Westville found themselves on the wrong end of the physical battle.
Durban High School’s plight is equally troubling. Three straight defeats, including that 40-point hammering from Paarl Gim and a loss to Monument, have left the men from DHS in unfamiliar territory. Their upcoming fixture against Maritzburg College has suddenly become absolutely vital. College, fresh off a solid Absa Wildeklawer showing, will fancy their chances of inflicting more misery on their rivals.
